Make your mind up

1 Peter 1:13-16

¹³ So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. ¹⁴ So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. ¹⁵ But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. ¹⁶ For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

In verse 13 Peter encourages us to make a decision to “be holy as He is holy.” The NIV says to do that “with minds that are alert and fully sober”. I like that expression. I like the solidity of it. I am making up my mind to live the way Jesus wants me to. It is a reasoned and conscious decision.  But it brings up two questions. Why should I make this decision? And how do I live a holy life?

Peter answers the first question in the next few verses. Our salvation was expensive! It cost Jesus his life! That makes me want to live a holy life out of respect, gratitude and honour for him.

The second question is more difficult. ‘Holy’ means set apart. How does my life fit with me being set apart for God? As Paul says, even when I make up my mind to do things the right way, I still find myself doing wrong things (Romans 7). In this passage, Peter encourages us to “set our hope” on Jesus coming again. That is, live in anticipation of our future salvation. It is easier to live holy lives when we‘re thinking about what God has in store for us.

I’m reminded of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. “Run the race to win the prize”. An athlete will train and make choices about the food they eat and how much sleep they get, etc., because they are focused on winning their race. In this passage, Peter’s encouragement to make up our minds to live holy lives is like the athlete. Live with the goal in mind. As well as that, we have the Holy Spirit to help us live holy lives. He is our counsellor and guide if we take time to listen to him and if we choose to obey what he says.

So, the answer is to focus on what is ahead and let that, and the Holy Spirit, determine my choices now. Simple, right? But hard to execute.

Lord, thank you for dying for me. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that you give me guidance. I want to live a holy life. Help me to hear and obey you.

Amen

Written by Megan Cornell